Le Roman de Tristan et Iseut. BÉDIER, Joseph (ed.); ENGELS, Robert (illus.).

Limited edition, one of 500 copies printed on japon paper, in a spectacular binding by Durvand, a master French binder of late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Bédier (1864-1938) was a professor of medieval French literature. He revived interest in several historic texts, including Tristan and Iseut. His version was first published in 1900. Robert Engels (1866-1926) was a German illustrator, designer, and art teacher. He was a regular contributor to the avant-garde art magazine Jugend and was a professor at an art school in Munich. Octavo (237 x 178 mm). With 48 colour lithographs after Robert Engels, title page printed in red and black with green foliate boarders and publisher's device, decorative initials, brown foliate borders to text. Contemporary brown crushed morocco, spine in gilt compartments, lettered in gilt, covers with elaborate gilt frames, board edges and turn-ins decorated in gilt, blue morocco doublures decorated with gilt flowers and onlaid monograms "JMQ", foot of front doublure dated "Nöel 1916", floral silk endpapers, additional marbled paper endpapers, edges gilt, silk bookmarker in red, yellow, and green. With original wrappers bound in at beginning and end. Housed in contemporary morocco and marbled paper slipcase. Bookplate of bestselling author Suzette Telenga, professionally known as "Susan Yorke" (1915-1997) and her spouse Enrique Ellinger (1904-1969) on the second free endpaper verso. Spine gently sunned with a couple of scrapes, slipcase sunned and a little cracked: in near-fine condition.